After a disappointing sophomore release, Big Sean promised he would deliver a higher quality product with his third album, “Dark Sky Paradise.” After all, the saying goes, “third times a charm.” But as you listen to the album, it becomes apparent that Sean’s raps are either lazy and forced, or over-extended and off-beat. He overcompensates with …

10 years ago today, Kanye West changed my life. It doesn’t make sense, but it makes perfect sense. I was 12 years old when I first heard his name. At this time, I only owned five hip-hop albums that I can vividly remember: Jay-Z’s “The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse” and “The Black Album,” …

This summer, hip-hop has taken over and delivered a number of phenomenal albums such as Kanye West’s “Yeezus,” J. Cole’s “Born Sinner” and Jay-Z’s “Magna Carta…Holy Grail.” With competition at an all-time high, Sean had big expectations to live up to with his sophomore album, “Hall of Fame,” which was released Tuesday, August 27th. With …

The following paragraph was written after I finished the review. Some of these views are expressed later on, but I had to get this off of my chest first. On Friday night, I was at a bar in Center City Philadelphia and “All Falls Down” came on while I was sitting outside. Moments later, my friend …

First and foremost, welcome to my new website that describes me well: The Hip-Hop Connoisseur. Here, you will find reviews of the latest and greatest in hip-hop, R&B, and if I’m into it, some alternative music as well. Let’s get things started with J. Cole’s “Born Sinner,” which he let loose on his website, bornsinner.com …